Rucki Girls Wanted Foster Care Over David Rucki

(Judge Michael Mayer)

After being found in November 2015, the two Rucki girls told the court they preferred foster care over living with their father, David Rucki.

“The girls feel it is in their best interest for Dakota County to stay involved in this case, to remain in local foster care. They promise not to run from foster care.” Said Tanya Derby, a Dakota County Assistant Public Defender who attended a hearing on November 30, 2015.

The hearing was presided by Judge Michael Mayer of the 1^st Judicial District in Minnesota.

Judge Mayer Transcripts (1) by on Scribd

Mayer, along with the four representatives of the Minnesota Judicial District’s press team- Beau Berentson, Kyle Christopherson, Alyssa Roberson-Riems, and Lissa Finne- all did not respond to an email for further explanation.

Indeed, several times Mayer and others who participated in this hearing made mention that the girls were threatening to run again if they were placed with their father.

“The agency’s primary concern is the safety and well being of the concern that there is a flight risk or a run risk,” said Jennifer Jackson, an Assistant Attorney for Dakota County.

“But the bottom line is, I’m concerned for the kids. I’m very concerned about them running.” Said Judge Mayer.

“The girls have indicated to me that they will run, and I have indicated to them that I can’t stop that from happening,” Judge Mayer says at another point, recalling a conversation he had with the girls in chambers. 

"I can't make them not run," Judge Mayer said at another point. 

"It's true that the girls have said they will run if returned to their father's care," said Lisa Elliott, David Rucki's attorney at another point in the hearing. 

The girls repeated insistence that they would run squares with what they told the police when they were first found, “Samantha and Gianna came down, and immediately told us that they would not go back to their father.  We told them that our first concern was their safety.  I did ask them about the last time that they had heard from their mother, and they told me that they would not say anything without a lawyer.” The police report stated when the girls were first found.

The two Rucki girls, Gianna and Samantha, ran on April 19. 2013, after 1^st District Judge David Knutson forced them to live with their father, despite their insistence they were afraid of him and that he is violent.

The evidence of David Rucki’s violence is overwhelming: Rucki-  a bar fight, a road rage incident, incidents of stalking, once sticking a gun to his son Nico’s head, and chasing after his daughter Samantha on her thirteenth birthday

As I discussed here, all these incidents were covered up by the courts and later by the media, particularly 20/20 and their broadcast "Footprints in the Snow" which conveniently left out all these documented incidents of abuse, all while claiming they could find no evidence. 

Judge Mayer did not seem to have any appetite to figure out why they insisted they would run; instead, he forced them into reunification therapy with Rebecca Bailey.

I discussed Bailey further here.

Bailey reunifies, if that is what you call it, children who she and the courts deemed alienated from a parent.

In reality, she threatens children, demeans them, and tells them they can’t leave her camp until they admit the so-called alienating parent is putting thoughts in their head and the alienated parent really loves them.

Here’s one of the stories I told.

Jaime’s oldest daughter, then 12, came home from a visit to their father in February 2014 with a shocking accusation; her father had allegedly molested her.

Days later, she took her daughter to the police who took her statement but when the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office refused to prosecute, the alleged molestation became a family court matter.

Though they’d been divorced since 2006, with Jamie receiving physical custody, her ex-husband, now facing allegations of child molestation, first accused his ex-wife of parental alienation in response.

A laundry list of court professionals was assigned to the case, and in April 2016 Dr. Rebecca Bailey was assigned as the reunification therapist.

“When I asked her if my daughter told her of abuse as a mandated reporter would you report it, she said ‘no’”. Gay remembers Bailey’s position on allegations of abuse. “Then, she immediately asked if I was recording it.”

Dr. Bailey quoted an initial $45,000 for the reunification program but Jaime Gay doesn’t know how much it costed because her ex-husband paid all the bills.

Gay was initially not allowed to see any of her three children for ninety days after Bailey was put on the case and she has had sporadic contact with her children since.